Falling Out Of Stories
by johnnycakex3
Summary: Somehow, the Tulsa gang have ended up in the twentyfirst century. They're figuring things out and learning how to get by, with help from a new friend. But what they really want is to find a way home.
1. Chapter 1

I was laying on my bed, staring at the ceiling listlessly. I could hear someone rumaging around in the living room, and I groaned. It was six thirty on a Saturday - under any normal conditions, I would still be fast asleep. But one of my newly acquired roommates snored, one of them was an early waker, and the other ones just caused me to be too stressed to sleep. 

Slowly, I stood up, stifling a yawn. I wanted my other roommates to stay asleep. I stepped over the three of them that were sleeping on my floor, and carefully opened my bedroom door.

"Heya baby, awake already?" called a voice from the kitchen.

I rubbed my groggy eyes, trying to make my face look less tired. "What are you doing up?" I finally answered, walking into the kitchen. I still felt shock when I saw who I was talking with; I still wasn't used to the idea of having fictional characters living in my house.

I was standing face-to-face with Sodapop Curtis, of the book The Outsiders. He grinned goodnaturedly, and I couldn't help but smile back. Soda had that hold over people; he smiled, you smiled. He laughed, you laughed.

"I was makin' breakfast...that's okay, ain't it?" he asked as an after-thought, looking sheepish. "I just wanted to help out, ya know? Since the seven of us are all freeloadin' on ya"

I shook my head, thinking about the seven boys my house now held - Soda, his younger brother Ponyboy, his older brother Darry, Steve, Dally, Johnny, and Two-Bit. Johnny, Pony, and Two-Bit were the three that had been asleep on my floor (and Two-Bit was the snorer). Darry, Steve, Soda, and Dally had shared the spare bedroom. I kept wondering how I was going to explain this to my mother; she was away on business for a week, and (though I'm only fifteen) had left me home alone.

Now when she came back, I'd have seven greasers with me.

Oh good lord.

"You're fine, Soda," I finally replied. I could smell coffee brewing, and wondered how he figured out how to use a coffee pot. Or maybe coffee pots had already been invented in the 60's, where he was from - I wasn't sure. "What're you making?" I asked. "Is there enough for everyone"

Soda nodded eagerly. "I made a little of everything. Some pancakes, some sausage, some waffles. And that nasty-smelling vegetarian sausage for you," he added. I smiled at how thoughtful he was. "I still don't get how you don't eat meat. You sure you ain't a hippie or nothin"

I laughed. "Soda, just finish making breakfast. You think the other guys'll be up soon"

He shrugged. "Pony'll probably wake up soon. He ain't too fond of sleeping away from home. And Johnnycake probably didn't even sleep. Poor kid, he's a wreck. The others might take awhile." He went back to making pancakes, and I felt myself wondering where he learned to cook - but I shrugged the thought away.

I thought about Johnny and Dally, and felt myself smile. I was glad that they were alive. I wasn't sure why they weren't dead; but hell, I wasn't even sure why I had seven fictional greasers sleeping in my house. I couldn't figure it out. I had been reading The Outsiders late one night, and I had fallen asleep shortly after the scene at the drive-in. The next morning, I awoke to the Greasers, all of them in a panic. Of course, me screaming my head off didn't do much to calm them.

That had been yesterday. By now, we had all grown used to each other - and I must admit, stressful as this whole ordeal was, I was loving it. My favorite book, my favorite characters. It was heaven, underneath the hell of the situation. I still wasn't sure what to do. How the hell did I get them back in the book? And would they want to go back?

I walked back into my room, grabbing my cell phone. I accidentally stepped on someone.

"Owww!" exclaimed Ponyboy, sitting up quickly. "Did you just step on me?" he asked, staring at me.

I had to hold back a laugh. "Sorry, Pony. Accident," I replied, holding up my hands in an "I'm innocent" gesture.

He smiled, looking tired still. "Alright." He started getting up. "Everyone else up?" he asked.

"Just me and Soda, I think. It's pretty early. Only seven or so. Why don't you go back to sleep?"

Pony shook his head. "Nah, I'll get up. Might as well. And you said you'd get that book for me today, right? I promise I won't get scared of it or nothin'."

I cringed inwardly. I wish I could have kept the fact that the boys were from a book secret, but when I first saw them, I had exclaimed, "Oh my gosh! You guys are from The Outsiders!". Plus, it would have been unfair to not explain to them that they came from a book. The only one I really told this to was Ponyboy; I knew he was smart and could figure out what to do about this. And now, Pony wanted to read his book. He knew it was about them, and I had told him it might scare him or freak him out. His reply had been a shrug.

"I still don't get how we got here," Pony said after a moment of silence. "We're from the 60's...but you know that, you've read our book. And it's only fair that I get to read our book. You keep talking about getting us back in there. I want to know what happens in our book. I mean, two nights ago I was at the drive-in with Johnny and Cherry Valance. The last thing I remember, Johnny and I were in the lot." Pony stopped to take a breath, looking thoughful. "Does that all happen in the story?" I nodded. "And stuff happens after that, right?" I nodded again, and Pony looked serious. "I guess if I read the book, it'll be like cheatin' at life. But I think I need to."

"Whatever you want, Pony. I'll go grab it for you," I replied, stepping over Johnny and Two-Bit. I walked out into the living room (ignoring the smell of something burning, that was coming from the kitchen), and glanced through the books on my bookshelf. After a few seconds, I found the book - The Outsiders. I pulled it off the shelf gingerly, holding it lightly between two hands. It was funny to think that the characters I had always loved were now lulling around my house, as if they belonged in the twenty-first century.

I heard my bedroom door open, and a second later Pony and Johnny were sitting on the couch. Johnny kept yawning, and I had to fight down a smile. "Here you go Pony," I said, sitting down next to him and handing him the book. "Don't say anything to the others before you talk to me, 'kay?"

"He already told me about it," Johnny said softly, a note of pride in his voice. I guess he felt special that Pony would confide something so important to him. "I ain't scared, neither," he said, looking at me. "I mean, it's weird that all this happened and everything, but I think it musta happened for a reason."

I thought about that for a moment. "You know, Johnny...that makes me feel better." Ponyboy had moved to the other, smaller couch and was curled up with the book. I looked up at Johnny's face and smiled sadly. "I keep feeling so terrible that I've got you guys into this mess. I mean, I didn't really do anything...but at the same time, I did. You know? I took you guys from the place you knew, and put you here. And I don't know how to get you back."

Johnny looked as if he was easing up. "If it's any comfort to ya, I really didn't like Tulsa all that much. I just wonder what's going on there now, if we aren't there. Did we just stop existing there? Or are we all missing?"

Johnny's dark eyes looked thoughtful, and I'm sure my blue ones did too. "I have no idea. I mean, up until now - you guys didn't exist. But you did. It's almost like...we're all just in a story. You guys fell out of your story, and into mine. Maybe...maybe life is just all a big book, with all different kinds of stories."

Johnny yawned again, and I smiled. "All this thinkin' makes me tired," he said, sounding amused. "But what you said makes a lotta sense. It would explain what happened with us. But then would that mean that every book is an actual story, with real people, that really exist?" Johnny ran a hand through his hair, looking at me expectantly.

Shrugging, I replied, "I have no clue, Johnny. No clue at all."

"Breakfast is ready!" shouted Soda all of the sudden. "Wake up, you freeloading greasers!" he called.

"Johnny?" I asked, "Does Soda...know how to...actually...cook?"

Johnny laughed, standing up. "No clue at all, Jenna. No clue at all."

I stood up to, and playfully hit him on the shoulder. "Cute, Johnny," I said dryly. He just laughed again, and I was surprised at how easy it was to talk to him. And at how comfortable he seemed to be with me. As Johnny walked into the kitchen, I headd toward Pony. "How're ya doing?" I asked, studying his face for any hint of emotion. It was void of any readable feeling.

"Jenna, this is really weird," he said after a minute. "Really weird. How...who's S.E. Hinton? How does she know about us?"

I wasn't sure how to answer this question. "Pony...she made you guys up."

"Oh, so we don't exist?" Pony asked, standing up. We were the same height, so we stood eye-to-eye - his whole face looked intense and confused, and I felt a pange of pity for him. "Am I not standing right in front of you? Jenna, those things happened to me! They happened to all of us!" he cried, straining to keep his voice down.

"How...how far have you gotten?" I asked awkwardly. It was the end of the book that I was afraid would upset or scare him. I wasn't sure if he would be able to take it.

"We're at the drive-in with Dally and he's being a jerk to Cherry. And that's exactly how it happened, almost word for word. And my thoughts are exact too. What the hell?" he cried, his voice sounding shaky and getting a little higher. "What the hell is going on?"

"I wish I could tell you," I said sadly, putting my hand on his shoulder. "I'm really sorry Pony. I'm sorry I got you guys into this mess."

Pony thought about this for a moment, staring me into the face. Thinking about his description in the book, I almost wanted to smile - his eyes seemed more gray than green; I knew he would love to know that...though this was hardly the right time to say anything. Finally, Pony spoke. "This was bound to happen. If not to you, to someone else. Something's going on, and we were meant to come out of that book. And for the record, I'm glad we ended up with you. I know it's probably not fun to have to baby-sit seven teenage boys from the 60's...but you're really great. Thank you."

Before I could reply, he turned and walked away, heading toward the kitchen. A smile took over my face, and I trudged toward my room and the spare room. In the hallway, I called, "Two-Bit! Dally! Steve! Darry! Wake up and come get your breakfast!"

From inside my room, I heard Two-Bit grumbling. "Damn, that's one little broad that can yell..."


	2. Chapter 2

**I didn't mention this in the first chapter, but I hope you all figured it out on your own - I do not own any of the members of The Outsiders. As much as I would love to say I created them, I didn't. However, I do own Jenna + any other 21st century characters.**

_**TO: NewGirlOnTheBlock**_ **- no, I can't say I did know that. Interesting. . Thanks for the review!**

**On with the story!**

"This is fucked up," Dally complained, sitting on the couch in the living room. "What do you expect us to do? Sit around and watch TV all day?"

"I was sort of hoping you guys would, yeah," I replied matter-of-factly. "What would you like to do, Dallas?" I asked, emphasizing his name.

"Dally." His correction was short and I could tell he was getting mad at me. "And I'd like to do something exciting. Something fun. Get some adrenaline goin'. Let me live," he whined, and I almost found the situation hysterical. Dally was whining like a little kid to me, but he was still listening to the rules I had set down. He knew he shouldn't go anywhere, and he knew he should listen to me. I was impressed that he didn't try to cause a problem.

I thought for a second. I was sitting on the floor in-between Johnny and Two-Bit, staring at the off television set. "You know," I started after a moment, "if you guys are going to be around for awhile, you need new names."

Two-Bit stared at me. "What's wrong with our names?"

Sighing, I said, "Nothing's wrong with them. They're very nice names. But remember how me and Pony told you about the book? Over breakfast this morning? People really like your book."

"We're popular, huh?" Two-Bit interrupted me, grinning.

"Yes. Very popular. So people would recognize your names. Put that with the fact that you each fit your character personalities perfectly...well, people would start to wonder what the hell was going on."

From across the room, Darry sat on the couch, looking tired. "I'm already wondering what the hell is going on," he grumbled, locking his eyes on mine. "She doesn't know, Darry," Johnny said softly, and everyone fell silent. Johnny could kill off any awkward conversation, and I was really loving that ability of his right about then. "How do you decide on new names?" he asked me.

I was wondering the same thing. "Well, not all of you would have to change. I don't think. Steve, you can stay Steve. Johnny, you stay Johnny. Darry, how about you go by Darrel? Or Darrin? Or something like that? Two-Bit...be Keith."

"I can just be Dallas," Dally said, interrupting me. "Well, that should work. And then...Pony...you or Soda can be Curtis," I said, glancing toward the two boys. They each sat next to Darry - Soda following the conversation, Pony absorbing his book.

"I'll let Pony be Curtis," Soda decided, since Pony was barely even aware that we were having a conversation. "Who am I?"

Leaning back against the couch, I close my eyes. "Whoever you want to be, Soda. How about something that sounds similar to Soda? Like...I don't know...Sam."

Soda nodded. "Sam is good for me."

"Okay, good. So now...remember your names. It's what I'm going to call you when we're in public, and what you're calling yourself from now on. However, while we're at the house...you can be your regular selves. Keith?"

"Yeah?" asked Two-Bit - er, Keith.  
"Good. Sam?"

Soda...Sam...nodded.

"Curtis?"

The newly named Curtis nodded. I guess he had been following the conversation after all.

We went through role a few times before I was satisfied. Sam, Darrel, Keith, Johnny, Steve, Curtis, Dallas. Sam, Darrel, Keith, Johnny, Steve, Curtis, Dallas. I could remember that - I had to.

Ten minutes later, all the greasers were bored. "You mean to tell me that you don't have TV?" asked Two-Bit, looking at me in disbelief.

I nodded. "Yeah, we don't. The back bedroom gets three or four channels, but I don't want any of you in there. That's my mom's room."

"I thought you lived by yourself. Where's your ol' lady?" Dally asked, looking toward the back bedroom.

"Business trip," I explained. I was about to go on and describe where she was, but Two-Bit was still going on about the television dilemma.

"How can you not have TV? We're greasers and we still could afford it!" he exclaimed, looking around the house. "And this is a nice-ish house. Well, nicer than the Curtis' house..."

I glared at him. "We don't have TV because we don't. Cry about it, good lord. Go on the computer. That's more fun anyway."

Six pairs of eyes stared at me - since Pony was still devouring the book. Dally is the one that spoke. "What the hell is a computer?"

Groaning, I got up and walked to the computer. It sat in a corner, next to one of the couches. "This," I said, motioning to it, "is a computer. It can provide hours and hours of great entertainment."

Two-Bit got up and gingerly touched the screen. I slapped his hand away. "Whoaa, I thought that was just a fancy TV!" he exclaimed, touching the monitor. "I wanna learn how to use it."

Apparently, everyone else did too.

So for the next hour, I taught Two-Bit, Johnny, Dallas, Darry, Steve, and Soda how to use a computer. Johnny was the easiest one to teach; unlike the others, he didn't ask millions of 'why's and 'what's. He just accepted that computers could do things, and that was good enough for him. I was just about to show the boys the Fandom of The Outsiders, when Pony spoke - well, yelled.

"Holy shit!" he exclaimed, throwing the book down on the floor. "Holy shit!" he yelled again. He hopped up off the couch and hurried over to me. "What the hell? That can't happen!" he cried, and I noticed his eyes were a little moist. "None of that can happen."

I put my arm around his shoulder, trying to calm him down. I forced him to sit down with me on the couch, and we rocked back and forth. The boy was hysterical, but I could understand why. He had just found out what the future held for him back in Tulsa. "It's okay, Pony. It's okay," I murmured, running my hand through his hair. "Just calm down."

The other greasers now surrounded us, staring at me and Pony like we were crazy. "Fuck, look how emotional he gets over a book," Two-Bit finally said, kicking the book so that it skid across the carpet. "Pony, show some dignity, kid."

"You let him be," Darry shot back at Two-Bit, glaring at him. "Something in that book obviously upset him. Maybe we should...look through it."

But none of them moved. They stood, their stares switching back and forth - the book, me and Pony, the book, me and Pony.

"Pony, you all right?" Johnny asked meekly, sitting down next to him.

Pony's body trembled. "Johnny...I...you...oh God. Oh God..."

I closed my eyes, trying to decide how to explain why Pony was so upset from the book. "You guys," I finally said, "you all need to sit down. I have something really important and really weird to tell you." Almost in perfect synch, the boys sat down on the floor. Johnny stayed on the couch with me and Ponyboy. "All right guys...well...God. I don't even know how to explain what I need to explain. You guys aren't going to believe any of this."

For the first time since we met, Darry gave me a comforting look. "Just tell us. We'll believe you," he said, putting his hand on my knee. "We'll just have to deal with it."

"Yeah," Soda said, smiling crookedly. "It sure as hell ain't normal, but we'll just have to deal."

I managed to smile. Ponyboy sat up a little straighter, his eyes closed. "Guys, I just read our book," he said simply, opening his eyes and nodding toward the book that was now in the hallway. "It had some pretty bad stuff in it.

"  
"Come on, man," Johnny said. "Just tell us."

"I...I...I can't," Pony finally said.

I groaned. If he couldn't I had to. "Okay, let me lay it out very simply. First things first - Johnny, you kill a Soc."

I could see Dally break into a huge grin. "Way to go, kid."

I gave him a Look. "No, it's not a good thing. It's a very bad thing."

Johnny looked uncomfortable. "I...I killed someone?" he asked quietly, and Pony instinctively put an arm around his shoulders. "But...I wouldn't kill no one."

"Well, you did, Johnnycake," Pony replied. "They were drowning me. In the fountain. At the park. They were gonna kill me, then they were gonna beat you up."

"Wait a second, wait a second," Two-Bit piped up. "The park? The park in our territory?"

Pony nodded. "They were mad at us for picking up Cherry and the other Soc girl. So they came lookin' for us. And Johnny and I were out because...well, because..."

Sensing how uncomfortable Pony had gotten, Darry said, "Because I hit you. It's my fault you boys were out there. Damn it, Pony, I'm so sorry."

Ponyboy just nodded, and went on. "So Johnny...you killed the Soc to save me. It was in self-defense. You didn't just kill him for fun or nothing. We didn't have a choice."

"Yeah," I supported, "there wasn't anything else to do, beside letting them kill Pony. So anyway, you kill the Soc. You two run to find Dally. Because we all know Dally can figure out how to outsmart the stupid system." Dally grinned again and I rolled my eyes. "He gets you guys a hideout in some old church."

"In the country," Ponyboy interrupted.

"Yeah, in the country. But then the church catches on fire while Dally is with you guys. You guys had went to get something to eat. And when you got to the church, it was burning down," I explained.

"There were little kids in the church, Johnny. They were gonna burn to death," Pony added, his eyes round and sad.

"So Pony runs into the church to save them."

"Fuck no!" Soda exploded, looking as if he might break down. "Pony, you die, don't you? You can't die!"

Sighing, Pony went on. "I don't die. Johnny runs in after me, and we start gettin' the little kids out of the church. Dally comes and help too."

Dally's eyes went wide with surprise. "You mean to tell me, I helped little brats? Do I die?" he exclaimed suddenly, staring at Ponyboy hard. "I do, don't I? I fuckin' die!"

"Shut up, Dally," Steve said, his eyes narrowing. "I think Johnny dies."

Now Johnny's eyes widened. "I can't die! I'm only sixteen!" he cried, looking at me and Pony frantically. "I mean, I know I've talked about killing myself before...but...no! No, I can't die! Sixteen years...sixteen years, it just ain't long enough!"

Pony and I nearly lost it there. "That's almost exactly what you said in the book!" Pony cried, letting his body sink into the back of the couch. I leaned my head against his shoulder, covering my face with a hand.

"Wait, so Johnny really does die?" Darry asked calmly, glancing at Johnny.

"Johnny gets hurt in the fire," I finally said, after a long moment of silence. "You get burned real bad, Johnnycake. And you get...like...paralyzed. From mid-back down. You get put in the hospital for a while. And you and Pony, you guys are heroes now. Dally too, but not so much. I guess you're police record sorta made the hero bit die down," I said apologetically, smiling sadly at Dally.

"Hold on," Soda said, looking deep in though. "So nobody dies? They just get hurt?"

"Come on, Little Man, let them finish their story," Darry answered him.

I gave him an appreciative smile. "So anyway...now that Johnny's killed that Soc, things have heated up in Tulsa. A big rumble happens. You guys win-" I paused, waiting for their proud shouting to die down. "And Pony and Dally go to see Johnny and tell him."

"And Johnny dies while we're there," Pony said softly, and I found myself looking into Johnny dark eyes. He looked scared, lost...I felt my heart swell. "And Dal...Dal, you lose it."

"I feel like losing it right now," Dally said quietly, staring at his feet. His voice sounded void of emotion, and his eyes looked empty.

"Dally, you rob a store. And then the police shoot you down. You died...you died a criminal. Johnny, you died a hero."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** _Much as I love the greasers, they don't belong to me. However, Jenna and Lauren are both mine. Along with any other 21st century character._

**Reviews:** _Aw, you guys are so nice! Thanks for the reviews! (I take flames as well as compliments, by the way. Feel free to leave your opinion.)_

**Author's Note:** _Sorry this update took a little longer than planned. Soccer+school hectic._

Silence fell over the living room, as all the boys absorbed this information. Soda was the first person to talk, and he was obviously choosing his words carefully.

"Technically," he began, staring at me, "none of that will happen. Because one, it's just a book. And-"

"Yeah, just a book," I interrupted in an unintentional sneering voice. "You know how many times I've closed that book and thought, 'Gee, what great characters.' You've all just been storybook characters to me. But obviously, that's not correct. Something weird is happening, but what can we do? That book is real. Isn't it, Pony?" I asked for confirmation.

Pony nodded serenely. "Those things happened to me, you guys. And Dally and Johnny. We went to that stupid movie, and we met Cherry and Marcia, and Johnny and I were in the lot...and...if we hadn't been pulled out of our book, everything else woulda happened too!"

Two-Bit looked thoughtful for a change, and tilted his head slightly. "But now, if we got back into our book - which isn't just a book, it's apparently our lives - we would know that those things would happen."

"Yeah," Darry said, glancing around the room. "And then we could make different decisions. We could change the story!"

I must have looked uneasy, because then Johnny spoke up. "How you guys plannin' on getting back into the book?" he asked, and silence covered the room once again. "I say we just make do with living here."

"That was gonna be my second point," Soda said, grinning. "What I was tryin' to say was, we're not in the book no more. We're here. Let's just figure out our lives here!"

Steve high-fived Soda, mirroring the other boy's grin. "Yeah, yeah! We be twentieth century boys now!"

Inwardly, I cringed. I didn't want them to stay. They couldn't stay! They lived in a book. Plus, where would they stay? How would they survive? This was not going to work; how could it? I had seven greasers living in my house, and if they stayed in this time era, they'd be living here for at least a few more weeks. And what was I going to tell my mother...?

"You know guys, that might be harder than you think," Darry said, sounding logical and understanding. "How do you expect to make money? Go to school? Live? What are your plans, guys?"

Two-Bit looked crushed, but Ponyboy looked deep in thought. "Darry, I bet you could find a good job somewhere. And Two-Bit and Soda could too, and-"

"What about school, buddy? I think Two-Bit and Soda should both go to school," Darry said, rushing on with, "I don't care what you say Soda. We stay here, and you're goin' back to school. Steve and Dally, well hell, they'll do whatever they want. So I ain't gonna bother laying down rules with them."

"I could try to get Johnny a job," I said suddenly, thinking of my friend Lauren Carling. Her family owned a local restaurant, Carling's Dinner, and Lauren had been telling me that they were in need of a busboy. "Pony, you're too young, probably. I can hardly find work, and I'm fifteen."

"I'm almost fifteen," he said sourly, obviously upset that he wouldn't be able to bring any money in for the family.

I smiled, but didn't say anything. I got up for the couch, heading towards the computer desk. The boys were all still talking - well, arguing is the more accurate term. Searching through the desk, I finally found a pen and notepad. Might as well be organized, I had decided. I wrote down a few things; mainly, who would be able to work, who would be able to drive, that sort of thing.

"Darry, do you have a driver's license?" I asked, knowing he did. As he nodded, I said, "Okay, well it's outdated. So what we're gonna say, is this - your wallet had been stolen, and you need to renew all of your stuff. I have no idea if that will work, so don't get pissed off at me if it doesn't. I'm just hoping it does. And I want Soda, Steve, Dally, and Two-Bit to go with you. I know you guys can already drive, but you're gonna have to get new licenses. But we can't try to pull the "lost wallet" trick twice, so you guys have to take the driving test. You'll probably not get a license for six months, or a year. But...I can't help it. Okay? Okay."

"What the hell?" shouted Steve, his face red with anger. "I'm a great driver! I don't need no driving test!"

"Fuck that, I ain't taking a test," Dally said, his brow furrowed. "Don't need any stupid license to drive. I drive just fine."

Sounding exasperated, I replied, "Yes, I know. I'm sure you guys can drive great. But I don't care. You need to be legal. So you're gonna go to the DMV and-"

"Waita second," Dally said, "what about my police record and shit? Ain't they gonna wanna arrest me?"

"Dally, you don't exist in this world. You have no record." As an afterthought, I added, "And don't try to make one! The police are better here. You won't get away with shit. So please, please, please don't try. For the gang? Please."

Rolling his eyes, Dally nodded his head. I wasn't sure he was going to listen, but I decided there wasn't much I could do about it.

"All right, good, good. Now...Darry...do you think you could figure out how to get to the DMV?" I quickly explained where it was, and he looked as if he understood. "I'm gonna let you guys walk down to the bus stop, 'kay?" I explained where that was, and they all looked okay with it. As they all started getting up, I pulled Darry aside. "Darry, I'm really depending on you. Please keep those guys in control. I don't know what to do if one of them gets in trouble, or arrested, or whatever. So just...keep a close eye on them?"

Darry grinned, the first real grin I'd seen from him. "Don't you even worry about it, girl," he said, patting my shoulder.

With that, Steve, Darry, Dally, Soda, and Two-Bit headed out my front door. I felt like groaning, but instead, I turned to Johnny and Pony. Johnny still looked very shook up, and Pony seemed to be unsure of what to do.

"'Kay boys. I'm gonna show you around town," I said, shoving Johnny playfully. He smiled wryly, but got up.

"What town are we in, anyway?" Pony asked as he started to stand up.

I grinned. "Welcome to Terranceville, Utah, kiddo."


End file.
